Internal combustion engine



Sept 22, 1936- M. J. PUFF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 20, 1954` Ill j 1 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Application April 20, 1934, Serial No. 721,424

8 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to engine crank case ventilation.

The t of engine pistons with their cylinders is often of such a character that fuel, in liquid or Vapor form, seeps into the crank case. Likewise, liquid from the cooling system leaks into the crank case and, in addition to this, a quantity of water vapor enters the crank case in the fuel and with the Ventilating air. A quantity of such foreign liquids and vapor intermingle with the body of oil in the crank case so that it becomes diluted thus decreasing the useful life of the oil and lowering the lubricating eiciency thereof.

This condition has long been recognized in the engine art,.as it is customary to provide a ventilating system whereby air can pass through crank cases.` The movement of the usual engine parts is generally relied upon to create a pressure differential between the interior and the exterior of a crank case in order to cause air circulation which serves to withdraw suspended vapor. IV

have found that, with many types of engines, such crank case ventilation is inadequate to efficiently clear the fuel and water vapors before liquecation occurs and hence undesirable oil dilution is not overcome.

An object of the invention is to provide an efficient breathing system fo-r engine crank cases.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for moving a large volume of air through engine crank cases so that fuel and water vapor accumulating therein will be carried off prior to liquecation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel form of air impeller means for crank cases which can be operated in close prox- Y imity to the air inlet, above the oil level, and in a relation such that it does not interfere with operating engine parts.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. l is an end elevational view of an engine, partly Ybroken away and partly in section, having my invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View, taken on a similar line as Fig. 1, showing diagrammatically the path of travel taken by the crank shaft and the impeller.

Referring now to the drawing by characters of reference, I have shown my invention associated The top wall of the crank case block is formed with an opening which communicates with a side chamber in the cylinder block and an outlet conduit 2| leads from the chamber to the exterior of the engine. 'I'he wall 22 of the crank case block is formed with an opening ll to receive 15 the inlet tube 24, this tube preferably serving as an oil inlet. The inlet and outlet tubes are preferably arranged on opposite sides and adjacent opposite ends of the crank case in order that the Ventilating air may travel the full length of the crank case and thereby have maximum contact with the vapor therein. A cap 25 has a cylindrical body 26 fixed to the under side thereof and suchbody is arranged to have a relatively tight sliding t into the exterior end of the tube 2Q. Suitable iiltering material 21 fills the cylindrical body and a plurality` of ports 28 extend radially through the outer end of the body to permit the entrance of air while a port 29 is formed in the base of a cylindrical body in order that air can pass into the inlet tube. By means of this cap and tube, ltered air can be moved into the crank case through the tube 24.

Ordinarily the rotation of the crank shaft and theA associated elements within the crank case will draw a limited volume of air through the inlet tube which will raise the pressure within the crank case slightly so that the difference between the pressure within and without the ciankcase will move vapor laden air out of the tion of the vapor occurs and results in diluting L) the body of lubricating oil indicated at 3S.

It is the main purpose of this invention to provide engine driven air impeller means within the crank case which will operate to cause enicient breathing so that oil dilution will be substantially eliminated.' In addition to this I proposeto provide impeller means which operates adjacent the air inlet in a relatively small area so that it does not interfere with the engine elements, as normally located, and does not dip into the body of lubricating oil in the bottom of the crank case.

To this end, I utilize an air impellerblade 3| which is connectedjwith a moving part of the engine, preferably the crank portion of the crank shaft, by means of one of the connecting rods l?. This rod has an integral hub section 32 and a removable hub section 33 which are clamped around the crank pin 9 of the crank shaft by bolts 3d. hub are recessed, as indicated at 35, to receive an end of the impeller blade and the arrangement is such that the blade is clamped between the hub sections by the securing bolts and is retained by one of the bolts passing therethrough.

The impeller blade vis mounted to operate in one side of the crank case, above the oil level, without interfering with engine parts as usually employed and in close proximity to the inner end of the air inlet conduit." This is accomplished by reason of the fact that the impeller blade is attached'to the connecting rod hub carried on the pin 9 of the crank shaft. In Fig. 3, the circular line A indicates the path in which the axis of the' crank pin travels in carrying the hub of the connecting rod while the elliptical line B indicates the path in which impeller blade travels. The angular movement of the rod hub in its course of travel with the crank-pin accounts for the impeller blade movement. It will thus be seen that theblade can be attached to a conventional engine so that it will not interfere with the parts or dip into theY body of oil and will require a small'space in one side of the crank case. Y

In order to increase the volume of air moved into the crank case by the impeller blade, I form the crank case wall 22 with an Voutwardly Vextending chamber 23 into which the air inlet tube 2d projects. The chamber is of a relatively narrow width and the blade is of substantially the same width 4as the chamber, such arrangement 'increasing the suction created in the inlet tube by the movementk ofY the impeller blade past the inner end thereof. The chamber wall below the inlet tube curves downwardly in a direction so that it will direct incoming air in a .path extending transversely of the crank case and just above the level of the body of oil. As the inlet tube is at one end of the'crank case and the outlet tube is at the other end of the crank case, the air will travel in a somewhat rotary path lengthwise of the crank case, thus intermingling with substantially any suspended vapor within the crank case.

Through means of the air Yimpeller being instrumental in moving a large volume of air through the crank case, fuel or water vapor in suspension will be carried away before liquecation can occure and consequently dilution of the lubricating oil will be substantially eliminated. At the same itime, the volume of air passing through the crankcase is sufficient to materially The adjacent faces' at'one end ofl the assist in cooling of the oil while returning from the bearings to the bottom of the crank case.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In an engine, the combination with a shaft having a crank portion, a reciprocable connecting rod rotatably mounted on the crank portion of the shaft, and an air impeller means connected tothe rod, said rod moving said impeller means in Va path having the major portion thereof at one side of the axis of the shaft.

2. 'In an engine, the combination of a connecting rod having a sectional hub, an air impeller blade between the hub sections, and means securing said hub sections together with said impeller blade therebetween.

3. In an engine, the combination of a piston connecting rod having a rotatably mounted sectional-hub, an impeller blade having one end extending between two adjacent surfaces of the hub sections, and securing means extending through the hub sections and the blade.

4. In an engine, the combination of a crank case having an air inlet chamber and an outlet, a connecting rod in the case, and a blade in the crank case iixed to said rod in a relation to pass through the chamber during a part of its travel.

5. In an engine, the combination with a crank case having an air outlet opening and an air inlet chamber of relatively narrow width and a crank shaft in said case, of an air impeller blade of substantially the same width as the chamber movable with the crank shaft and associated to pass through the chamber in a portion of its path of movement.

6. In an engine, the combination of an oil containing crank case having an air outlet opening and an air inlet chamber projecting outwardly and formed with a curved lower wall, and an en- 4 gine rotated impeller blade adapted to pass through the chamber in its path of movement, Vthe curved wall of the chamber directing incoming air transversely of the crank case above the oil level.

Y '7. In an engine, the combination with a crank case having an air inlet and outlet through its wall portion and a connecting rod therein, of an enginedriven air impeller member attached to and movable with said connecting rod in a path 5 Ysaid connecting rod above the oil level, said impeller being movable in a path mainly between the inlet opening and the axis 0f the crank shaft bearing portions.

MICHAEL J. PUFF. 

